Cristiano Ronaldo and Vinicius Junior inspired Endrick Felipe to sign for Real Madrid

The 16-year-old Brazilian talent has signed a pre-contract with Los Merengues, which means he will be joining the club in 2024.

A number of top European clubs were willing to pay the €60m fee, so it was down to Felipe to make the call.

In the end it was the influence of his friend Vinicius Junior and the prospect of walking in Ronaldo's footsteps which convinced him to make the move to Real.

"Real Madrid are a very big team, and Vini [Vinicius Junior] had sent me messages and gave me more hope," he told Marca.

"Cristiano too, who is my idol, played for Real Madrid. That's why I chose Real Madrid and I think it's the right choice. God has always been with me and he has told me that it is the best path."

On his friendship with Vinicius, Felipe added: "[He has given me] Various pieces of advice. I couldn't even talk about them here because there have been a lot of tips, I would be here telling them for a long time, I'll keep them to myself.

"But he has not given me advice just now but for my whole life. He is my friend and I think this friendship will last for many years.

"I hope I can exchange a lot of passes with him and score goals."